Citizens filed several complaints against former ASU officer

By Cooper Rummell | February 18, 2015 at 6:00 amUPDATED: February 18, 2015 at 6:29 am

PHOENIX — An independent administrative report into the controversial Arizona State University police officer who resigned Monday details previous law enforcement behavior complaints.

As a police officer, Stewart Ferrin was the subject of at least five internal administrative investigations. Those investigations followed citizen complaints that Ferrin had been rude, over-bearing and unprofessional.

On numerous occasions, various sergeants from the ASU Police Department coached Ferrin to focus less on traffic enforcement and use more discretion before issuing citations.

In the report by Investigative Research Inc., a private investigative company, ASU Police Sgt. John Thompson recalled a conversation he had with Ferrin about the use of discretion, “I said, ‘You’re kind of making a name for yourself; you’ve really got to lay off the traffic stops.'”

The report also finds during the controversial arrest of a black professor that led to a 7 and a half month administrative leave, Ferrin misapplied the law; but his lawyer Mel McDonald disagreed.

“Nobody found anything wrong, and Professor (Ersula )Ore was arrested, charged and convicted,” McDonald said. “She was walking across the street in the middle of the night in the middle of the street that does present a public safety hazard.”

McDonald spoke with Mac & Gaydos on why his team stopped fighting, stating it was just not worth it. He said he knows Ferrin is talented and will find another opportunity and another police station.